The man who took a video Saturday showing a black bear swatting at a hiker on the Coquitlam Crunch is worried the animal will be destroyed if it ends up being trapped.
Sam Abdullah was on the upper Coquitlam Crunch trail around 11 a.m. on Saturday morning and saw a woman jogger being approached by a bear.
A trap is currently on the trail, located above Panorama Drive, and that portion of the Crunch trail is closed to the public.
When he saw the bear, Abdullah took a video of the encounter and waited to make sure the woman was safe.
Eventually the bear walked away and the woman continued her run.
Abdullah, a Port Moody resident, who does the Crunch frequently, said he sent the video to the media and BC Conservation Officers to remind people to secure their attractants and to prove the bear is not one that has been causing trouble in the area.
“The Crunch bear is a different bear,” he said, describing it as smaller than the trouble-making bear that gets into garbage.
He’s worried the wrong bear will be trapped by conservation officers and “if that happens, they will shoot the bear,” Abdullah said.
However, the BC Conservation Officer Service hasn’t decided the bear’s fate, according to a spokesperson, and if the wrong bear is trapped (and has no history of conflict or habituation) it will be relocated.
“We’ve got good description of the bear, We’ll do an evaluation on the bear if it’s caught to ensure that it’s the offending bear,” Insp. Murray Smith told The Tri-City News.
Still, Smith said the video is worrying in that the bear “made a choice” to walk towards the woman and swat at it.
“To me it’s a bear that’s lost its fear of people, it’s human habituated.”
However, Smith said more information would be helpful and he recommends people in the area of the Coquitlam Crunch to lock up their garbage and report any sightings.
As well, he recommends people follow Wildlife BC recommendations on what to do if recreating in areas frequented by bears, such as forested areas in the Tri-Cities.
Among the things to do, Smith said, is to wear a bell to let bears know you’re coming, carry bear spray and know how to use it, and if you do come across a bear, slowly walk backwards, talking to a bear in a calm voice. If possible, drop something such as a backpack or a jacket to distract the bear and keep walking until you’re safe.
The trap will be in the upper Coquitlam Crunch for a few more days and the area — above Panorama Drive — remains closed.
Smith said his officers will continue to work with Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody on enforcement to ensure people secure their attractants, especially important now as bears are starting to fatten up for eventual hibernation this winter.
“We will continue that with the hopes that the bear will do what wild bears do as opposed to being around our community.”
